Malaysian Rendang Coconut Curry

I am a lazy cook it has to be said. My husband loves cooking so he tends to cook the majority of the meals and when he isn't at home and I am forced to cook myself. My cooking expertise tends to be pasta bake or pasta and cheese or just cheese…anything I can bung in the oven or put on the hob and forget about. What’s the point in spending ages cooking a meal for one?

However Wednesdays have now become ‘Hannah Wednesdays' and it's the one day of the week when I actually cook and you know what? I’m blinkin good at it. I have discovered a hidden talent. But with cooking comes the inevitable mess and washing up - everything good must have a bad.

This curry recipe I’ve cooked a few times now and Mr W and our friends have given it a 9.5/10 on their taste test, which is pretty darn good considering it’s a vegetarian recipe and they are all carnivores. It’s really easy to cook and it’s absolutely delicious, extremely fragrant and tasty and can be made in next to no time at all.(Best served with a cold glass of Pinot Grigio!)

Ingredients 

2 x 160g packs Marinated Tofu Pieces or this can be substituted with meat if you really can’t do without

3 tbsp desiccated coconut

2 cloves garlic

6 shallots or 1 onion, sliced

2 lemongrass stalks, peeled and sliced

2-3 fresh chillis, depending on your personal heat preference

2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

250ml tin coconut milk

125ml water

1 tsp tamarind pulp, dissolved in 1 tbsp water

4 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

2 tbsp fresh coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish

Directions

1) Heat a dry frying pan, add the desiccated coconut and toast until lightly golden.

2) Grind or blend together the toasted coconut, garlic, shallots or onion, lemongrass, chillies, ginger, turmeric, salt and sugar to make a paste.

3) Heat the oil in a heavy based frying pan. Add the paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until fragrant.

4) Add the coconut milk to the pan along with 125ml water, the tamarind water, star anise and cinnamon stick and bring to the boil stirring consistently.

5) Reduce the heat and simmer gently for a further 5 minutes. Then add the marinated Tofu pieces and continue to cook gently for another 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped coriander.

6) To serve, garnish with more fresh coriander. Delicious served with steamed rice or noodles and chilli fried spinach. 

Enjoy!